Over a Cup of Coffee: Imon o Ibeg

There are traits considered bad as it is. Some known bad traits, though, is being justified because of good effects it can bring. And sometimes, bad traits, being related to each other are used interchangeably. The danger of doing it is to assume that both traits have the same effects, while it is not. Let us consider these – imon and ibeg, both Pangasinan terms. What’s the difference?

Imon (jealousy, selos) happens when you’re worried someone’s trying to take what you have (Vocabulary.com, 2020 YOA). While ibeg (envy, inggit) happens when someone wants what someone else has.

Usually, imon involves people – three persons. One who seem to take someone, one who is being taken, and another who owns (in a way) the second person. Is it a bad trait? It is difficult to categorize as bad or something. But, what we can say is, this is normal for a person to feel as it is a type of worry. And worry is normal. It is also normal to end up worries before it starts to eat you up.

Ibeg, involves just two persons at least. Usually, a bad trait. But, it really depends on how one responds to such feeling. Some people use it to improve, by pursuing to get similar thing to that somebody owns. However, it is dangerous if in everything, ibeg is applied. One might end up pursuing for things that make others happy than to pursue his or her own happiness. He or she might end up always comparing the life he or she has to others. However, some people developed worse effect of ibeg.

Ibeg, in general, means one wants something own by someone else. Worse is, if one wants exactly something owned by someone else. Thus, the latter should lose that something in order for the first to have it. Therefore, it results to stepping on someone for personal gains.

Sadly, it is common that people who feel imon or ibeg do evil things to compensate such feeling. Likewise, even for people who should less likely feel such are the ones doing such evil things. People who have good looks, who have bounteous wealth, who claim to be God-fearing – yes, sadly they are not excused from compensating imon and ibeg with damaging deeds.

Imon may be justified, since it is a type of worry. Ibeg is another story especially the case we recently mentioned. It is more dangerous if other people feels it towards you, since you have no control over what they do to compensate what they feel. It may sound safe if you are the one who feels it. However, experiencing it continuously may cause you to do things you can’t control, especially when it matures.

Either side is not good – the one who is jealous or envy, or the one being envied or jealous of. If a bad trait doesn’t give you an opportunity to be better, cut it soon. Including the people who feel it towards you. Easy to say, right. Let us see if we can do it.

Review: Imon (jealous, selos) means worried about something being taken away from you. Ibeg (envy, inggit) means wanting what others have. Sometimes just similar to what others have. Sometimes, it is exactly what others have – to compensate ibeg, some people are not satisfied to just get it, but wants the other person who have it to lose and never attain it again.

Over a Cup of Coffee: Anus so Bilay

 Typical phrase during this times. An overused phrased when a Pangasinense experience a series of unfortunate or unwanted events. Without anus, life will be worse. Wait, what? Before you continue reading, as a disclaimer, I may use words inappropriate during mealtimes, haha. So, finish your food first, if any.

If you don’t speak Pangasinan, then let me tell you something about one organ in our body, before I translate what anus so bilay means.

Yes, I am pertaining to anus. Part of the excretory system. Right? Without being too technical, the organ that disposes our poops – or shits, if I may. What would happen if the anus just shuts and poops are trapped? The poison present in the poops will destroy other parts of our body. It will spread. The person will get sick. On the other hand, if the anus – the gate – will be left opened, then poops will just drop everywhere, unless you stay on the toilet that is fine, if staying on the toilet is fine, that is. I really do hope you read and understand the disclaimer above, lols.

So, in a way, the goal of the anus is to drop the shit on the right place – the toilet (or similar place). Easy, right? But, who did not experience that almost poop event? Travel? At somebody’s house? In a social event? The concept is easy. But is not actually easy. So, are you dropping your shits on the right place?

Figuratively, dropping shits is different to different people. Some people just don’t care – they have shits everywhere. Maybe because, they want to be “real” amidst fake people. They may consider it as normal. They think it is effective to shoo off unwanted people. It might be their way of protecting themselves from maltreatment and abuses from other people. Ill-effect? Perhaps, they are aware about it – they don’t smell good. At least, they aren’t “fake,” right?

On the other hand, there are people who don’t want to drop their shit at all. We usually view these people as perfect people or almost perfect people. They don’t have shit just anywhere, or do they? Like literal shits, they should be disposed. So, people who doesn’t want to shit may end up either shitting (still) on the wrong place or damage their entire body and eventually get sick. Remember, shits are poisons.

Apart from those extremes, there are those people who try to use the anus the right way – that is to drop the shit on the right place. They try to hold the shit no matter how long the travel is. They try to drop it only when the person around are those they trust. They try to drop it only when it doesn’t stink much anymore. They try to drop where no one gets hurt, where nobody else step on it.

So, what is the shit? The shit comprises every negative result of what we digest from multiple sources – from multiple society we interact with. May it be work, home, school, local community - just on anything you are involved whether willing or not. Basically, from the experiences we are having. We digest something from it and out from it are the poisons that we don’t need. Yes, some people just don’t want to put out those poisons. They might not know how to or they choose not to for whatever reason. But it consumes them. It destroys them. They get sick mentally or emotionally. Others just drop it everywhere – social media most of the time. Worse is, their shit hurts other people. The rest of the people try to drop their shit on the right place, sometimes it will fall on the wrong one. They might trust a wrong person. Or they might spill the negativity to a person who is not ready to receive such shit.

So, are you dropping the shit on the right place?

There are so many things we want to improve on. Consider this one - the appropriate dropping of shit. If we already dropped it on the wrong place, try to clean it up then.

So, for those who can’t understand Pangasinan language, here it is: Anus so bilay means "life is long-suffering (patience)". Use that phrase properly, so it won’t either poison you or make you smell bad. But, actually, that should be Anos so Bilay. I just want to make an analysis using the concept of anus. Yes, pun intended. Lols.